EU car industry a scapegoat for emissions problems, says MEP

Europe’s car industry is being used as a scapegoat for increasing CO2 emissions, argues German MEP Jorgo Chatzimarkakis.

The ALDE deputy told the Parliament Magazine that “the debate about CO2 has become somewhat hysterical, and could eventually lead to a sort of fatwa against emissions.”

Chatzimarkakis, rapporteur for CARS21, the report that looks at how the automobile industry must face the challenges of the 21st century, cites a recent German study that shows that cars contribute around 12 per cent of the country’s total CO2 emissions.

Taking into account that Germany has a higher number of individual cars than most other countries, it seems likely that the global contribution of cars to CO2 emissions is lower than this figure.

“What is important is not to see the car industry as solely responsible, but to also concentrate on the 88 per cent of CO2 emissions that do not come from cars but from sources such as power and heat generation,” he adds.

Reducing CO2 is now a key element of European politics, especially as the EU attempts to become a global leader in cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Ambitious targets were set at the European council last February (to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by 2020), and along with the EU’s objective of limiting average CO2 emissions from new cars to 120g/km by 2012 to meet its Kyoto obligations, carmakers are coming under increased pressure to do more.

The industry average is currently 160g/km.

The commission said in a February 2007 communication that it will introduce binding legislation to force vehicle manufacturers to cut average emissions from new cars to 130g/km by 2012 through vehicle-technology improvements. The new law would replace a 1998 voluntary agreement which committed carmakers to achieve a target of 140g/km by 2008.

Last week the European parliament proposed to extend a deadline for carmakers to develop more eco-friendly vehicles — instead of the 2012 date proposed by the commission, MEPs called for the auto industry to get three more years to develop cleaner cars. They also want to set the emissions limit at no more than 125g/km, which is less than the 130g/km suggested by the commission.

Chatzimarkakis suggests a “soft reduction” in car emissions by 2020, so that one per cent of new cars should be obliged to have an alternative power source to fossil fuels.

“This one per cent figure could be increased each year in such as way as to neither completely harm the car industry nor price consumers out of the market. The aim is that the last fossil-fuel based cars would leave the market in 2050.”

He hits out at any EU rules that would target the biggest part of Europe’s car industry – the producers of heavier vehicles – saying that it would be a step in the wrong direction.

“There are many more small cars in the world than large and heavy ones, which means that even a small decrease in the fuel consumption of cars in the compact class would lead to a higher reduction in CO2 emissions.”

The EU executive is set to come out with a detailed plan before the new year on how car manufacturers should reach the headline goal of reducing CO2 emissions of all new cars to an average limit of 130g/km by 2012.

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